HOMILY FOR TUESDAY OF THE 15TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME CYCLE II
THEME: Get In The Game
BY: Deacon Bill Frere
HOMILY FOR TUESDAY JULY 12 2022
Gospel – Matthew 11:20-24
Way back in high school, somehow I managed to make the JV basketball team. However my excitement was rather short-lived. I spent the season warming the bench. It was so frustrating to sit there and watch my teammates play and win while I sat there just itching to get in on the action. But it never happened. So the next season I tried a different tack. Instead of trying out for the team, I tried out for team manager! And I got the job! So I spent the season keeping track of individual and team game-time stats along with a lot of other tasks. It gave me a sense of worth; it transformed me from a mere spectator to an actual participant. And it felt wonderful.
Jesus spends the time in today’s Gospel berating the people of Chorazin, Capernaum and Bethsaida. He has visited those towns, performed miracles of healing the sick, raising Jairus’ daughter to life and casting out demons! He has preached to the crowds on numerous occasions. And in spite of all these things, nothing happened! He gained no followers, no disciples. They saw, they listened, they witnessed but then they went home, back to their daily lives as if nothing had happened.
They failed to recognize God’s presence and healing actions! They stood on the sidelines and then, apparently unaffected or inherently stubborn, they turned their hearts away from the Lord. They remained simple spectators and not active participants.
So what about us? Are we still standing on the sidelines? And then when the parade is over, we go back home as if nothing happened! Isn’t it time we asked ourselves the same question? Are we mere spectators of God’s presence in our lives? Or do we choose to respond and become active disciples, spreading the Word daily in our words and our actions?
Deacon Bill Frere